Virginia set to hire Duke's Chris Pollard as next head coach

Duke fell short of the College World Series this season, losing in the Super Regionals to Murray State. As the offseason begins, they will now be looking for a new head coach as well. Chris Pollard has taken a job elsewhere but remains inside the ACC.

Pollard has taken the Virginia job, replacing Brian O’Connor, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. This comes after Mississippi State hired O’Connor away earlier in the offseason, hoping to get their own program back on the right track. Now, Duke will be going up against Pollard on a near-annual basis with the move inside the conference.

This brings an end to a decade-plus-long relationship between Pollard and Duke. He was brought to Durham ahead of the 2013 season and struggled out of the gates. Duke missed the NCAA Tournament in Pollard’s first three years before earning a bid in 2016.

By 2018, the Blue Devils were in their first Super Regional since 1961. On four different occasions did Pollard guide them there but never did he break through to the College World Series. Duke has not been to Omaha since the same 1961 campaign, as the drought extends to 64 years.

Pollard has an overall record of 419-293 during his time in Durham. If you include stops at Division III Pfeiffer and Appalachian State, his record grows to 804-611-2. A winner is making his way to Virginia, hoping to bring similar success up to Charlottesville.

More on recent history Virginia baseball, hiring of Duke’s Chris Pollard

Despite going 32-18 and 16-11 inside the ACC, this year did not go to plan for Virginia. Missing the NCAA Tournament was a first in quite a few years, going back to the pre-COVID-19 days. O’Connor had brought some consistency to the program but fell a little short this past season.

But there is still a lot of potential for the Cavaliers moving forward. As mentioned, Pollard is bringing a winning pedigree and wants to get Virginia back there. Appearances in the College World Series have become a regular occurrence, dating back to a breakthrough in 2009. Five years later, a national championship came back with them from Omaha.

That’s the one thing Pollard is currently missing on his resume. He likely takes the Virginia job with the idea of getting on top of the college baseball world himself. A big opportunity for him with some high expectations moving forward.